Olivia Sakai

A participatory photography method called Photovoice is allowing women coffee farmers in Peru to reflect on their journeys as leaders in their families and communities.

This International Youth Day, we’re featuring a young entrepreneur in Botswana who is using the skills she gained in a TechnoServe program to build a thriving poultry business from the ground up.

When Chaquila José Augusto first started her business, she was selling just one loaf of bread per day. Today, she owns multiple shops and employs several people in her community. Learn how gaining new business skills helped her overcome barriers as a woman entrepreneur.

Rising temperatures, droughts, and extreme weather events are threatening coffee production in El Salvador and around the world. Meet a coffee farmer who used the skills he gained in a TechnoServe program to create change and inspire the next generation of climate advocates.

TechnoServe is introducing a free, open-source Android application for capturing and sharing geotagged farm-level sourcing data. This application will help coffee farmers and exporters comply with new European Union deforestation regulations.

In 2012, Lubaba Mekonnen, a single parent of two, joined a TechnoServe program that was working with coffee farmers in her community. At the time, she had no regular source of income and was struggling to support her family. Today, her income has increased by 200%, her coffee farm is flourishing, and her son is getting ready to attend university next year.

When Adugna Feye first decided to start growing coffee in 2010, he was simply looking for a way to feed his family. After participating in a TechnoServe coffee program, he increased his income 15-fold, allowing him to not only comfortably feed his family, but invest in his children’s education, his farm, and the future.

The ESCOBCAFE school teaches the sons and daughters of coffee growers how to become coffee cuppers, a step up in an important industry.

Idalia Medina grew up with the heart of an entrepreneur. As an adult, she merged her love for farming with business and started processing and exporting cheese. But, with no formal business training, Idalia was overwhelmed. Using the skills she gained from TechnoServe’s training, she transformed her enterprise and grew sales by nearly 20%, also allowing her to invest in the long-term success of her employees.

A few years ago, Reyna Oristela García was struggling to make a living from growing coffee. Today, her coffee farm is flourishing and her family is reaping the benefits.